1963 – {Sweethearts Of The Apollo} Decatur Street / Down The Aisle / One
Phone Call / Tear After Tear, Danny Boy, I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / Have
I Sinned / Itty Bitty Twist / I Walked Right In / The Joke's On You / My Bridal
Gown / Cool Water / I Believe / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / You Will Fill
Me Eyes No More / You'll Never Walk Alone / Academy Award / Love Me Just A
Little (Newton LP 631)

1967 – {Dreamer} Dreamer / Always Something There To Remind Me / I’m
Still Waiting / Take Me For A Little While / I Don’t Want To Go On Without You
/ Tender Words / Danny Boy / That's How Heartaches Are Made / One Phone Call /
Down The Aisle / Where Are You (Atlantic LP SD 8147)

Unreleased:

1969 - (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count The Days (Atlantic)

n/a - How Can You Throw My Love Away (Atlantic)

n/a - Forget It (Atlantic)

n/a - Never For Me (Atlantic)

n/a - When Joe Touches Me (Atlantic)

Biography:

Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles had a minor Top Twenty R&B/pop hit
with "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" in 1962 and, after signing with
Atlantic Records, continued to score hits in a variety of sounds, ranging from
girl group pop to '70s funk ("Lady Marmalade") to disco to lush pop
and R&B ballads while going through a visually stimulating metamorphosis
from the Bluebelles to LaBelle. Soul diva Patti LaBelle - the group's longtime
leader - continues to enjoy one of the most successful solo careers in
contemporary R&B.

Patti LaBelle (top), Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash

Patti LaBelle (b. Patricia Holt in Philadelphia on October 4, 1944) grew
up singing in a local Baptist choir and teamed with friend Cindy Birdsong to
form The Ordettes in Philadelphia in 1960. A year later, they added vocalists
Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash and the group was re-christened the Bluebelles.
They were influenced considerably by the early ‘60s girl group sound, especially The Shirelles.

Cindy Birdsong, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx

In 1962, the Bluebelles scored a Top Twenty pop and R&B hit with “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman” (which was really the Starlets), subsequently
hitting the charts in 1964 with renditions of “Danny Boy” and “You'll Never
Walk Alone.” Going out on the road, the BlueBelles earned national fame at The
Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, where they became “Apollo Sweethearts.” In
1965, they signed to Atlantic Records.

Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong, Sarah Dash

With producer Bobby Martin at helm, the quartet - now known as Patti
LaBelle and the Bluebelles - earned a minor hit with their version of the
Harold Arlen-penned standard “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They had only a
handful of minor R&B hits and near misses with Atlantic, including “I'm
Still Waiting,” “Take Me for a Little While,” and “Down the Aisle (The Wedding
Song)” which made full use of Patti LaBelle’s powerful gospel-derived lead
vocals and harmonies. Other highlights from this period include the original
version of “Groovy Kind of Love” (a big hit for Wayne Fontana & the
Mindbenders), the Supremes-like “Tender Words,” the dramatic “All or Nothing,”
and the moody Spooner Oldham/Dan Penn ballad “Dreamer.”

Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle, Cindy Birdsong

They were fortunate to have the talents of some of the top songwriters
of the day; in addition to Oldham and Penn, the Bluebelles performed material
written by Carole Bayer, Pam Sawyer, Lori Burton, Bert Berns, Jeff Barry,
Bacharach-David, Lorraine Ellison, and Curtis Mayfield (who produced some of
the act’s later sides), as well as songs written by both Nona Hendryx and Sarah
Dash - but nevertheless, the group preferred more aggressive and assertive
material and were never quite comfortable with most of these songs.

Nona Hendrx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle

Halfway through their Atlantic Records period (1965 to 1969), Cindy
Birdsong left to join the Supremes (replacing Florence Ballard). The remaining
trio toured the so-called “chitlin circuit” for the remainder of the decade. In
1970, unable to recreate their early success, the Bluebelles were dropped from
their label and abandoned by their managers. Patti turned to promoter Vicki
Wickham for help with their antiquated image. Wickham renamed the trio
"Labelle" and began working to help the women reconfigure their sound
for the ‘70s, pushing them in sexy, sweaty, gospel-drenched soul direction.
Demure gowns they wore during their girl group phase were soon replaced by
wild, flamboyant costumes and the group’s self-titled 1971 Warner Bros. debut
was filled with robust harmonies and funky, rock-oriented R&B. To support
the album, they toured with British rock band the Who and also collaborated
with New York songwriter Laura Nyro on her superb R&B-influenced album
Gonna Take a Miracle.

Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, Patti LaBelle

After recording a few decent albums (including Moon Shadow), LaBelle
exploded on the charts in 1974 with their superb Nightbirds album and its
raunchy hit, “Lady Marmalade.” Follow-up hits came with 1975’s Phoenix and 1976’s
Chameleon albums. Musical differences between Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx
began to pull the group apart and the group split in 1977.